Possibility of Aurora Due to Solar Flare Suggested as Cause of Titanic Sinking

▲Titanic at the time of departure in 1912 [Image source=AP News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A claim has been raised that the Titanic, which sank over 100 years ago in the North Atlantic, may be related to space weather changes caused by solar flare activity.

On the 27th (local time), Mila Jinkova, a private meteorological expert who has been tracking the Titanic disaster, suggested in a paper published in the recently released British Royal Meteorological Society journal "Weather" that the Titanic's navigation and communication devices may have been disrupted by a geomagnetic storm caused by a sudden change in the Earth's magnetic field, which could have also hindered rescue operations.

A geomagnetic storm occurs when electrically charged, high-temperature particle plasma and magnetic fields ejected by a large-scale solar flare collide with the Earth's magnetic field, disturbing it and causing auroras. Such phenomena caused a massive blackout in Quebec, Canada, in 1989.

Researcher Jinkova focused on the fact that on the night of April 14, 1912, when the Titanic set out on its maiden voyage and collided with an iceberg, the aurora borealis displayed intense blue, green, purple, and red colors.

Although there was no moonlight in the surrounding waters at the time, eyewitnesses testified that survivors who fell into the sea were found and rescued thanks to the aurora.

Auroras are lights caused when some of the high-energy particles emitted from the sun enter the Earth's upper atmosphere along the Earth's magnetic field lines near the poles and collide with atoms or molecules in the air there. These particles can interfere with the Earth's electrical or magnetic signals.

Jinkova analyzed that the geomagnetic storm producing the aurora could have been sufficient to affect the Titanic's and nearby ships' compasses and radio communication equipment.

Researcher Jinkova said, "Even a 0.5-degree error in the Titanic's compass could have pushed the ship from a safe route into a collision course with the iceberg," adding, "Such a seemingly trivial error could have made the difference between an iceberg collision and safe navigation."

She also inferred that the failure of the distress signals sent by the Titanic to nearby ships was likely due to the geomagnetic storm.

Jinkova stated, "The official report on the Titanic sinking notes that radio interference occurred due to communications among amateur radio operators, preventing distress signals from being properly transmitted to nearby ships. However, at that time, it was not known that geomagnetic storms could disrupt communications," adding, "Geomagnetic storms around auroras can negatively affect the reception of SOS signals."

She added, "Geomagnetic storms may have influenced all processes, including the deviation from the route that led to the iceberg collision and the failure to transmit SOS signals, which delayed rescue efforts."